All this was discussed in a well-attended public meeting last June in Lakewood with Dallas Animal Services (DAS) answering questions, mainly from those practicing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Frustrated neighbors talked about being overrun by outdoor cats, trouble accessing TNR resources and feeling like they weren’t being listened to. DAS officials explained they are doing the best they can while managing their resources.

Rock meets hard place.

“I need a place to go,” East Dallas neighbor Jennifer Woulfe said during the meeting. “I love (Texas Coalition for Animal Protection). I do most of my stuff at TCAP, but there have been times that I have to get there at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. I have to wait, and I can’t easily do that. So, for me, I need a place that’s an easier option to go. I’m willing to do it. You have free help right here, free. I’m doing it for free because I know it’s important for the cats. I know it’s important to my community.”

Any animal reproducing quickly and unfettered leads to a bigger population with higher risks for “disease transmission, parasites, sanitation concerns, nuisance behaviors,” says Amanda Earl, DAS assistant director of operations.

“One of the primary benefits of TNR is that participating cats are vaccinated against rabies,” Earl says. “They’ve been sterilized. They’ve at least been looked at by a veterinarian. They have an ear tip so that we can identify those animals. It does help stabilize colony size. It does help reduce nuisance behaviors, but there are only so many resources.”

Almost 8,500 service requests regarding stray cats were placed between August 2023 and September 2025 throughout Dallas but especially in East Dallas, Oak Cliff and southern Dallas, according to a City report.

TCAP doesn’t have an affordable spay and neuter clinic in Dallas. The closest locations for our neighbors are in Garland, Allen or Arlington.

To participate in TCAP’s Feral Fix Program for specifically wild and unsocialized cats, it is recommended to arrive “well before 8 a.m.” to secure one or more of the 12 slots available (limited to four cats per person or organization). If you miss your chance, you have to try again or schedule an appointment and pay $20, according to TCAP’s website. And not all of these clinics perform feral cat surgeries every weekday.